An American soldier who was arrested in Russia earlier this year was sentenced to nearly four years in prison on Wednesday, Russian state media reported via the Associated Press.
Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, 34, is serving a three-year, nine-month sentence in a Russian prison for theft and making death threats alleged by his girlfriend, Alexandra Vashchuk. Black has pleaded guilty to part of the theft charge but denies making death threats.
He was also ordered to pay $115 in damages, according to court reports from the RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies.
The prosecution asked for Black to be sentenced to four years and eight months in prison, while the defence asked for his client to be acquitted of all charges.
Trial underway for US soldier arrested in Russia on theft charges
Army Sergeant Gordon Black, 34, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison by a Russian court for theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend, Alexandra Vashtyuk. (Associated Press)
Black, who flew to Vladivostok, Russia, to meet Vashchuk, was detained on May 2 after accusing Vashchuk of stealing from him.
According to the Associated Press, Vashchuk told reporters a few weeks ago that Black “became aggressive and attacked her” during “simple domestic disputes,” which resulted in him stealing money from her purse without her permission.
Pentagon policy says service members cannot travel overseas without permission from their security chief or commander. Black did not seek permission, and his trip to Russia was not authorized by the Pentagon, according to an earlier Army statement.
Mother of US soldier detained while visiting girlfriend in Russia believes he was ‘trapped’
Black, who was on leave at the time, traveled to Russia for “personal reasons” after being discharged from Camp Humphreys, South Korea, to return to his base in Texas, Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said.
Black was arrested in Russia on May 2nd after an argument with his girlfriend. (Associated Press)
He met a Russian girlfriend while stationed in South Korea, U.S. officials said, despite having a wife and children back home.
She left South Korea last fall after “some sort of domestic dispute or altercation” with Black, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear whether South Korean authorities had any role in her departure.
Black’s sentence adds further tension to already complicated relations with Russia, strained by the war in Ukraine and the small number of Americans serving time in Russian prisons.
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Black will be held in a Russian prison along with Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, musician Travis Leake, teacher Mark Fogel and dual citizens Ars Kurmasheva and Ksenia Kavanagh.
Paul Whelan (left) and Evan Gershkovich (right) are two Americans the United States says are being wrongfully detained in Russia. (Fox News Digital)
The US government has declared that Whelan and Gershkovich are being wrongfully detained and is negotiating their release.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
